Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Kitchen Clean Up Tips

I am not talking about kitchen clutter this time, I am talking about Kitchen appliances, burnt and scorched pots and pans, blenders, breadboards, cast iron skillets, kitchen sink drains, garbage disposals, graters, meat grinders, etc. Those items that keep your kitchen running smooth but can also bring you to a dead halt when preparing the family meal if not properly tended. The kitchen is the heart of ones home. It is where the family gathers at the dinning table to eat, where family meetings are held, where one shares a cup of coffee with a good friend. It is the communication hub in our home life. If the coffee pot is down, the leisurely chat with the neighbor next door is not quite as pleasant and if the pots and pans are scorched or burnt the family dinner can begin to lose it pizzazz for both the cook and the diner. These clean up tips for all around the kitchen will help you keep the heart of your home running smooth.

Appliances:
Yellowing on white appliances can be removed by mixing ½ cup of bleach, ½ cup of baking soda and 4 cups of warm water and applying that mixture with a sponge unto the appliance. Allow it to set for 10 minutes then rinse and dry thoroughly. For quick clean ups rub equal parts of water and household ammonia. Club soda is also another quick clean and it polishes at the same time.

Blender:
Fill your blender part way with hot water and add a drop of dish detergent. Cover and turn it on for a few seconds. Rinse, drain, and dry.

Breadboards/Cutting boards:
To rid your cutting board of onion, garlic, fish smell, or other strong odors cut a lime or lemon in two and rub it (cut side of the fruit) on the surface of the board.

Make a paste of baking soda and water and apply generously. Let set for a few minutes and then rinse thoroughly.

Broiler pan:
Sprinkle your broiler pan heavily with dry laundry detergent. Cover with a damp paper towel and let the burned food set for a while. The detergent will help to break down the burnt on food without the fumes of some oven cleaners and will require very little scouring when going to finish the cleaning job.

Can Opener:
Loosen grime build up on your can opener by brushing it with an old toothbrush dipped in dish soap. Rinse in hot water and then finish the cleaning job by running a paper towel through the cutting process.

Cast Iron Skillets:
You can clean the outside of your cast iron cookware with a commercial oven cleaner but do not allow it to set or penetrate on the cooking surface. After cooking with your cast iron pans, clean with warm soapy dish water, rinse and dry thoroughly. Take a piece of crumbled wax paper and rub the outside of the pan while the skittle is still warm to help prevent rusting. Wipe a thin layer of oil all over the cooking surface to help keep it seasoned.

Tarnished Copper:
Fill a spray bottle with vinegar and add three tablespoons of salt. Spray solution liberally on the copper pot, let stand for a while then simply rub clean.

Dip a lemon into salt and rub tarnished copper.

Rub with Worcestershire sauce or catsup. The tarnish will disappear.

Burnt and Scorched Pans:
Sprinkle burnt pots liberally with baking soda, adding just enough water to moisten. Let stand several hours. After setting, generally the burned portion will lift right out of the pan like magic!
Stubborn stains on non-stick cookware can be removed by boiling 2 tablespoons of baking soda, ½ cup vinegar, and 1 cup of water for 10 minutes. Re-season the pan with salad oil.

Always place a jar lid or marbles in the bottom part of your double broiler. The marbles or lid will start to make a rattling noise that will tell you when the water has been boiled out.

Casserole Dishes with Burnt on Food:
Easy peazy way to remove burnt on food in your casserole dishes is to fill it with boiling water and add 2 tablespoons of baking soda or salt. Allow to set for about an hour and it will pour right out.

Dishwasher Film:
Fill dishwasher as you normally would but without any silverware, aluminum, or brass. Put a bowl of 1 cup bleach and set at the bottom of your dishwasher. Run through the washing cycle but not the dry cycle. Remove the bowl and dump any liquid out. Refill with 1 cup of white vinegar and allow your dishwasher to run a complete cycle. This will remove any film your dishwasher may have as well as your glassware!

Drains and Garbage Disposals:
Lean your drain when clogged with grease with a mixture of one-cup salt and one-cup baking soda. Put mixture into the drain and pour a kettle of hot water down it. The grease will dissolve and your drain will open immediately.

Never dump coffee grounds down your drain!

To freshen your garbage disposal grind a half of a lemon or lime.

Grater:
Make clean up easy by rubbing your grater with salad oil before grating.

Use a toothbrush to remove lemon rind, cheese, onion or whatnot out of the grater before washing.

Oven:
Following a spill, sprinkle with salt immediately. When oven is cool, brush off burnt food and wipe with a damp sponge.

Sprinkle bottom of oven with automatic dishwashing soap and cover with wet towels. Let stand for a few hours and wipe the grime away.

To clean oven parts quickly, place a towel in the bathtub and pile all the removal parts. Over the removal parts with just enough hot water to cover the parts and add one cup of dishwasher soap over it. Let set for a couple hours. Rinse and allow to dry before replacing.

A cheap way to clean the inside of your oven is to turn it on at warm setting for 20 minutes, shut off. Place a small dish of full strength household ammonia on the top shelf and a large pan of boiling hot water on bottom shelf and allow it to sit overnight. In the morning open the oven and allow it to air out for a while before washing it out with soapy warm water. Even the worst baked on grease will wash away easy!

Refrigerator:
Keep your refrigerator smelling fresh by keeping an open box of baking soda in it. Replace monthly. Another quick trick is soaking a cotton ball in vanilla extract set in the refrigerator will also do the trick!

Prevent and rid of mildew by wiping it with white vinegar. The acid in vinegar effectively kills mildew fungus.

Sinks:
For a sparkling white sink place paper towels on the bottom of your sink and saturate with bleach. Allow to set for about ½ hour and rinse.

Rub stainless steel sinks with lighter fluid if rust marks appear. After the rust disappears, wipe with your regular kitchen cleaner.

Use a cloth dampened with rubbing alcohol to remove water stains from stainless steel.

Spots on stainless steel can also be removed with white vinegar.

Club soda works wonders at putting the shine back into your stainless steel.



Dimensions 11.25 x 9 x 7.5


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7 comments:

  1. If I had a cutting board as pretty as the one in the picture I wouldn't feel compelled to hide it in the back of a bottom cabinet. I'd hang that one on the wall for decoration! I always knew the Amish did it better and this just proves it.

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  2. I love the hints! I've already passed them on to all my family and friends. I just told my Mom last weekend that she really needed to get a new cutting board. The one she has is nearly 20 years old and is really past its prime. I'm going to get one of yours for her birthday. Then I'm going to throw the old one away.

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  3. I've been needing a new cutting board and this one really fills the need. The hints were an added bonus and I've already written them down and will keep them close to the stove to right my wrongs! I really like the hints. Actually, I just really like this site. I've added you in my favorites so you're just a click away!

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  4. A friend of mine sent me an email about your site and told me that you had some wonderful hints. She was so right! I'm going to copy all of them down and keep them for future use. I've already found a couple that I can use immediately. I also love the furniture. I'm not sure I've ever seen any Amish made furniture before. Of course, I've heard of it but didn't appreciate what a difference I would see in it.

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  5. My Mom has a butcher block counter top that is very similar to the design of your cutting board. I'm going to get this for her for her birthday as I know the one she has is older than I am. It's time for an update and I know she'll like this.

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  6. I can't decide if I come here for the furniture or the tips! I like them both, a lot.

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  7. If all of these tips are not collected in a book, they should be! I feel kind of guilty copying them down for free.

    ReplyDelete